A wireless telephone signal experiences path loss as it propagates from a mobile telephone to a mobile network transceiver. Path loss (also called path attenuation) is the reduction in the power of an electromagnetic wave as it travels from one location to another. Path loss may be due to many effects, such as, for example, a signal being partially absorbed or deflected by trees and buildings along the signal path. Path loss is influenced by terrain contours, environment (e.g., urban vs. rural), propagation medium (dry vs. moist air), the distance between a transmitter and a receiver, and the height and location of antennas.
Propagation predictions are commonly used in radio network planning and optimization tools. In order to improve prediction accuracy, most propagation models have internal parameters that can be used to fine tune predictions to account for specific propagation conditions over a certain area. Test data is traditionally used to fine-tune propagation models based on a comparison of predicted versus measured signal strength for each location. Optimum propagation model parameters can be derived that minimize the error of the predicted signal strengths. The main disadvantage of this approach, however, is the need for extensive drive testing, which is very time-consuming and not scalable.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure presented herein has been made.